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- Life on the abyssal plain is scarce due to several factors. The lack of sunlight leads to a lack of primary producers, as plants cannot photosynthesize. Additionally, the extreme conditions such as low temperatures, high pressure, and scarcity of nutrients make it difficult for organisms to survive and thrive in this environment.
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What is the abyssal plain?
Abyssal waters retain several cubic centimetres of dissolved oxygen per litre, because the sparse animal populations do not consume oxygen faster than it is introduced into the abyssal zone. Abyssal life is concentrated at the seafloor, however, and the water nearest the floor may be essentially depleted in oxygen.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Feb 25, 2021 · The seafloor and water column from 3,000 to 6,500 meters (9,842 to 21,325 feet) depth is known as the abyssal zone, or the abyss. Sunlight doesn’t penetrate to these depths, so the waters here are extremely dark, and the animals that live here often use bioluminescence to communicate.
Feb 12, 2024 · In the deepest parts of the ocean, the water column experiences immense pressure and varying water temperatures. At the hadalpelagic zone, which extends from around 6,000 meters to the ocean's deepest reaches, the pressure is incredibly high, reaching over 1,000 times the pressure at the surface.
The relative sparsity of primary producers means that the majority of organisms living in the abyssal zone depend on the marine snow that falls from oceanic layers above. The biomass of the abyssal zone actually increases near the seafloor as most of the decomposing material and decomposers rest on the seabed. [9]
The Abyssopelagic extends from 13,100 to 19,700 feet (4,000-6,000 m) down to the seafloor or abyssal plain. Animals that can withstand the pressures in this depth, which can reach up to 600 times what is experienced at sea level are highly specialized.
Abyssal Zone. The abyssal zone, or the abyss, is the seafloor and water column from 3,000 to 6,500 meters (9,842 to 21,325 feet) depth, where sunlight doesn’t penetrate.
The flat, muddy, wide-open stretches of the deep ocean floor—known as the abyssal plain—cover more than 50 percent of Earth’s surface and play a critical role in the carbon cycle. Scientists visit from time to time, but they rarely get to stay long. That’s one reason why the work of MBARI Senior Scientist Ken Smith is so remarkable.
